Today students learned about graphing. First, they participated in a whole-group graphing activity. I surveyed students for information regarding the pets they have at home. Next, we created a bar graph. (The girl represents no pets.) Here are our results:

Below are the questions that the students answered.

To reinforce the concept of graphing, I read a great book aloud. The Best Vacation Ever tells the story of a busy family who needs a vacation.

Sound familiar?! The narrator gathers data and creates graphs which show just where the best vacation will be for her family. Be sure to ask your child about the girl’s results….

Next, I wanted to give students the opportunity to put their learning to work….they each received a blank bar graph with the title “Which of these do you like best?” The activities included music, art, p.e., or library. Take a peek at how things unfolded…

So much excitement! The results were exciting…their favorite activity is….

Art!

Looking for more opportunities to practice graphing at home? Your child with have a chance to graph as a homework activity this weekend.

The kindergartners writing has exploded! Upon their return from Winter Break, I asked students to write about what they did over break. I gave them paper that had smaller lines and an editing checklist on the bottom.

Many children wrote three sentences or more! I conferenced with each student, and we went through the check list together, encouraging students to write using a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence, write using spaces between words, spell the Heart Words correctly, and use ending punctuation. I decided to offer the students the challenge of using this new paper in their journals this month. They were thrilled.

Students were given an opportunity to practice creative writing as well. The had to imagine what they would do if they woke up one morning and there was a dinosaur in their backyard.

It is such an exciting time of year!

Do what is honest. Do what is right. Integrity.

During Morning Meeting, students were asked, “As you are walking back from Mrs. McDavid’s office, you find a five dollar bill.  What do you do?”

“Leave it there!”

“Put it in your pocket!”

“Look around and see if it belongs to anyone!”

“Bring it to Mrs. McDavid!”

We watched a quick video to encourage the students to think more about this scenario.

After more discussion, the students agreed that giving back the money would best show integrity. Next, I read the book Little Crocs Purse.

After reading the story, Ms. Atkinson asked some thoughtful questions, relating integrity to situations that don’t involve money. Students then demonstrated their understanding of this character trait in their Swooper Citizens journals.